Tire



W. E. CURTIS TIRE Fi 1 ed Nov Patene Apr 17, 1923.

rrrrrrrr WILLA'M E. Curvrrs, or WYANIDOTTE, MICHIGAN.

TIRE.

Application fi1ed November 18, 1921. Serial No. 516,021.

T 0 all wlwm it may conder'n;

Be il; known that I, WILLIAM- E. CURTIS, a citizen of the United States of America, resicling al; Wyandotte, in the county of VVayne and State of Michigan, have inventecl certain new and useful Improvements in Tires, of which the following is a specification, reference being hacl therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to tires and has special reference to that class of resilient vehicle tires that may be advantageously used on automobile and truck wheels, without eno ploying inner pneumatic tubes or air cush ioning means in connection with the tires.

The primary object of my invention is to provicle a. tiro composed of a multiplicity 01 circumferentially arrangecl resilient units which may be assemblecl on a wheel rim or felly, and should a unit be injured a new one may be substituted therefor without the necessity of removing the inner tiro.

Another object of this invention is to provcle a tiro consisting of a plurality of circumferentially arranged adjoining resilient units with each unit containing laminatecl springs for maintaining the unit distende-cl end a retractile spring, cooperating with the other springs, in maintaining the configuration of the unit end thus resist any pressure whioh tencls to clistort the unit. It is through the co-operation of such springs that the unit is resilient and a multiplicity of such units san readily cooperate to insure easy riding of a vehicle on a rough surface.

A further advantage of my invention is to provide, tiro unts that may be assemblecl to provicle a tire of desired diameter or size, and each unit has its parts constructed so as to be easily assembleol and manufactured at a comparatively small cost.

Other olojects of my invention Will bereinafter appear as the tire is better understood, and reference Will now be had to the drawing, Wherein- Figure 1 is a sicle elevation of a. portion of the tire With certain units in longitudinal section;

Fig. 2 is a.n enla.rged cross sectional view of a portion of the tire showng one of the units partly broken away and partly in section, and

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the tiro unit.

The tire comprises a rim or annular support1 proviclecl with side flanges 2 end sets 0 circumferentially arrangecl openings Mountecl on the: rim 1 are the clencher eclges 4 of a plurality of circumferentially arrangecl abutting tire units 5 preferably made of rubber, saicl units having thickened or reinforced tread portions with the eclges of saicl treacl portions bevelecl, as at 6. lVith the units 5 in abutting relation, as shown in Fig. 1, the bevelecl eclges 6 Will cooperate in provicling transversely disposecl grooves in the periphery of the tire ancl these grooves Will increase tl1e tractive or gripping qualifications of the tire.

In each unit is a laminatecl bowecl spring T having its bowecl portions connected by il screw bolt 8 or other fasteuing means to che miclclle portion of the unit, in which miclclle portion there is embeclclecl a nut 9 into which the screw bolt 8 is screwed.

The leaves of the laminatecl spring 7 have overlapping aperturecl encls 10 on the rim 1 and 1nountecl on tl1ese overlapping encls is a stucl plate 11 lozwing stucls 12 extencling through the apertures of the bowed spring ancl through the apertures 3 of the rim 1 so tha.t nuts 18 may be mountecl on the stucls 12 of the plate 11 to anchor the encls of the bowecl spring relative to the rim. The bowerl spring maintains the unit distencled agains; acciclental collapse but permits of the unit yielcling under pressure.

Adcling rigiclly to che each unit is a coilecl retractile spring 14l; which has its end convolutions in screwthreaclecl engagernent with the heads 15 of guide pins 16 extending into the encls of the coiled spring 14. The heads 15 have apertured lugs 17 pivotally connectecl by pins 18 to sets of aperturecl l ugs 19 carried by plates 20 rivetecl or otherwise conneeted, as at 21 to opposecl walls of the bowed spring 7. The Coilecl retractile spring extends transversely of the unit, as best shown in Fig. 2, and the retractile force of saicl spring Will prevent excessive bulging of the sicles of the bowecl spring ancl the unit in which it is mounted.

Shoulcl anything happen to one of the units che nuts 13 can be removed and the unit boclily withclrawn from the rim l, but With the units compactly assemblecl about the rim the tire Will withstancl rough usag'e ancl afforcl a greater clegree of resiliency than an orclinary pneumatie tiro.

Une embodiment of rny invention has been bowecl spring of llustrated but it is to be understood that the structural elemnts are susceptble t0 such changes in size, shape and manner'of assemblage as fa1l withn the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:--

The combnation of a rim and a tira, said tre ncluding abutting, reslient unt-s on sad rim, a lamnated bowed spring in each unt, sad spring having ts bowed portion connected to sad unit and its ends overla,pped and connected to sal rim, a coled retractile spring in each unit having its ends loosely connected to opposed wa1ls of said bowed spring, and a studded plate mounted 15 on che overlapped ends of the bowed spring to connect said ends to said rim.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Wtnesse-s:

ANNA M. DORR. KARL H. BUTLER. 

